What's the oldest carry ammo you have in your CCW?

It depends.
It doesn’t matter how old the Ammo is.

If the gun never leaves the house it really doesn’t matter.

What matters is what your carry gun is exposed to. It never gets wet and work in an office setting Every few years is fine.

If you work in the elements once a year isn’t a bad idea.

If you’re constantly wet ride a motorcycle in your ammo gets wet a few times in a year you should change it after like the third time it gets wet if you don’t dry it immediately every time.

In all likelihood it’ll still go bang. It never hurts to clean your gun every now and then. Once again depending on the environment it’s in and how it’s Carried.

For example my back up Gun I used to carry on my ankle all the time and picks up all kinds of shit and Lint and one time I got in a scuffle and when I got home.. There is a piece of asphalt wedged between the cylinder and the frame. Would’ve prevented firing
 
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Rockrivr1 said:
I was just cleaning up my CCW and was contemplating how long I've had the same carry ammo in my mags. Thinking back it has to be at lease 10 years. I mostly use other ammo when I shoot my CCW and then put the carry ammo back. Probably not the best thing, but it's interesting how time flies and you what you don't really think about.

So how long have you kept your CCW ammo in your carry gun?
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Speer Gold Dot 135 grain .38 is my choice. I cycle ammo yearly, using the older rounds for practice and replacing them with fresh ones at the beginning of each year. Remember to practice with what you actually carry. If all hell breaks loose and you are forced to use your CCW gun, every aspect of the shooting will be nitpicked by lawsuit-happy lawyers and possibly by prosecutors. I chose what NYPD used to issue, due to its effectiveness in real-life shootings and its ability to successfuly withstand legal scrutiny.
 
Hailstorm said:
When the prosecutor tells the jury that you used those evil Black Talons to kill so and so. They will be jizzing in their pants.
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-Nobody uses BTs anymore (or at least I hope the other posters were joking at actually carrying shit thats over 20 yrs old) Ranger Ts are the same bullet, but better
-This rarely happens, contrary to stupid ayoobism corner cases aside
 
drgrant said:
People need to take their old Ayoob articles and put them in a fireplace and burn them. [rofl]

I get that people love to jerk off over corner cases but in the real world that shit barely matters.
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That whole Black Talon thing was a just a marketing strategy that backfired. After getting roasted by the anti gun crowd, Winchester simply renamed the product and it was business as usual. What a joke! As for Ayoob, he is a prolific writer and instructor who, to the best of my knowledge, has never been in an actual gunfight and was only a part time police officer in a couple of small NH towns.
 
M1911 said:
Longer than I would like. I’ve got some now which is likely approaching that age. Unfortunately, I use Federal HST which has been either unobtainable or stupidly expensive during the pandemic (about $1.50 per round).
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So, figuring once a year you'll shoot your mags empty, you should practice some with your carry ammo anyway and reload them from your stockpile.

Your life expectancy minus how old you are, most of us probably don't need more than a couple years supply, some less.

Multiply the years left times the capacity of your mags and buy that now to guard against price increases.

Then you only have to worry if you outlive yourself!
 
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There's a big difference between how old your carry ammo is and how long you keep your carry ammo in your EDC. Ammo can be many years old and fine if stored properly, however keeping it in your EDC for years on end (if you actually carry) isn't a good idea since now it's subject to moisture, etc. I know people who have exactly one box of carry ammo and never ever shoot it, that's plain nuts. If you carry regularly you should shoot off your carry ammo every so often and replace it w/ fresh ammo.
 
It's surprising how many guys unload their carry pistol when they come home every day and then the next day chamber the round in again. What's the fear? If you have kids in the house, just put the carry piece in a biometric safe.
 
ThePreBanMan said:
I have lots of ammo that is about a decade old. Thousands of rounds. It all goes bang. Kept in a climate-controlled environment.
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You either don't shoot and just go "my precious" over the ammo, or you have so much, the Army comes to you to borrow ammo...
My oldest ammo is from last year and I'm about to finish that off. I go shooting 2-3 times weekly, take courses, etc.
 
ThePreBanMan said:
I have lots of ammo that is about a decade old. Thousands of rounds. It all goes bang. Kept in a climate-controlled environment.
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That’s all fine and wonderful. However, To build on @Buck F ’s sentiment…
My pants are far from climate controlled. If I’m sweating balls at the end of the day my holster is usually a bit mmmoist (this is why I don’t buy used holsters) and I imagine my ammo is feeling some of the same. I’d feel more confident with ammo that’s sat in an ammo can for 10 years than some that’s sat on someone’s hip for 9 months.
 
Sammy said:
You either don't shoot and just go "my precious" over the ammo, or you have so much, the Army comes to you to borrow ammo...
My oldest ammo is from last year and I'm about to finish that off. I go shooting 2-3 times weekly, take courses, etc.
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Let's just say, I practice the "buy it cheap, stack it deep" mantra... I lived through one ammo panic and was scrounging... Never again.
 
Tinkermatic said:
That’s all fine and wonderful. However, To build on @Buck F ’s sentiment…
My pants are far from climate controlled. If I’m sweating balls at the end of the day my holster is usually a bit mmmoist (this is why I don’t buy used holsters) and I imagine my ammo is feeling some of the same. I’d feel more confident with ammo that’s sat in an ammo can for 10 years than some that’s sat on someone’s hip for 9 months.
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C3E64544-A686-41FD-8C73-496374C80ED5.jpeg
 
I have never had any issues with carry ammo, by age.

Continually loading and clearing a pistol, will take it's toll on the edges/face of the bullet.

Once the rounds start to get a bit banged up; I switch them out. Never according to age.

I have fired many carry rounds (some 30-40 years old); without any issues.
 
Working as a department armorer, I used to see a lot of "setback" on issued ammo. Officers would report to the control center and be issued a pistol and enough ammo for 3 magazines. We would then load the mags and chamber a round. 3 shifts a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Once I got assigned to the armory, I was able to help solve the problem. I showed some of the ammo to the commander and explained what was happening. He allowed me to replace the "bad rounds" as I found them. Some were really jammed in deep. That same ammo would also go from a control room/armory with A/C to the AZ outside, so a truck with A/C (or open windows, depending). As for personal carry ammo, I've switched some of the same stuff from gun to gun as I buy/sell/trade them, but put the once-chambered round in the bottom of a mag so that a once-chambered round doesn't get reloaded over and over. I do try to switch it every once in a while, since it will sit in the house when I'm home, and in a vehicle (super hot in the summer; super cold in the winter) when I'm at work. Still never had an issue. I'd like to think ammo is cheap compared to my life, but at $1+/rd. for the "good stuff" it gets really expensive really fast to keep switching so often. Just my .02. YMMV.
 

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